The chase group quickly fractured on the descent, as Niels Albert used his superior handling to pull away from Stybar — who looked particularly uncomfortable in the mud all day and fell several times — and the rest of the bunch.

Only Stybar could match Nys on the descent, but Nys, buoyed by the huge, partisan crowd, hit the gas again, going clear on his way through the saturated field near the end of the lap at the bottom of the hill.